Cheshire: Residents continue to be plagued by swarms of flies

This is despite assurances from the council and Environment Agency that action would be taken in 2023.

Residents in Culcheth and surrounding areas are claiming that they have been making complaints about the issue for more than a decade, with the problems only getting worse.

Residents say flies swarm around food when it is served (Image: Supplied)

One resident said: "The flies make our lives a misery. 

"It is really difficult when cooking, and embarrassing when having visitors over for dinner to be asked 'Why have you got all of these flies in your kitchen?' 

"The authorities are failing to regulate the site adequately and are failing in their duties to protect the environment for the residents concerned."

Another added: "It’s a daily battle. 

"To keep them out we have to have windows shut or minimise the number of windows we have open if we are to have any fresh air. 

"We can’t even walk through an external door without some coming in."

Now, correspondence from the Environment Agency may shed light on what is the cause of the problem.

For a long time, some residents speculated that the reason Culcheth, Croft, and surrounding areas had been blighted by the winged beasts was due to the waste disposal system at Diggle Green Farm.

Apparently, waste on the farm is regularly left uncovered - residents say it is this that has been causing the problem of flies to worsen.

In October, The Chester Standard's sister title the Warrington Guardian approached Diggle Green Farm to comment on the allegations, they said: "We are aware of the allegation.

"As a responsible operator, we take our environmental obligations seriously and we continue to work closely with both the Environment Agency and Local Environmental Health."

A waste disposal site on a nearby farm has been the subject of allegations regarding the flies (Image: Supplied)

However, correspondence between residents and the Environment Agency - that has been seen by The Standard's sister title the Warrington Guardian - tells a different story.

In emails, the EA explains that an unannounced investigation was carried out at the farm at the end of April this year, where the authorities said: "We assessed the presence of flies in the waste and were able to substantiate a significant number of flies present on the surface of one waste pile, indicating potential for a greater population within the pile.

"This was a breach of conditions of the Environmental Permit in force at the site."

The email continues: "In April we had 23 complaints of fly activity in residential homes, all in the Culcheth area.

"Half of these reports were between April 22 and 25, and an unannounced visit to site took place on April 26, where fly activity was substantiated.

"The operator put in place increased control measures following this visit, and as a result, we saw a decrease in reports of flies across the following months from May 3 to June 8."

Though the EA stops short of confirming Diggle Green Farm is to blame for the large numbers of flies, the authorities accept that there have been breaches at the site, and once they were addressed, the number of reports regarding flies fell.

The correspondence concluded: "However, following an increase in reports of fly activity over the weekend of July 8-9, we attended site on July 12 to review the situation and discuss the pest management plan.

"Due to our ongoing investigations, we are not able to issue further detail at this stage."

Flycatchers in the area are often full (Image: Supplied)

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We have received reports from residents about flies in Culcheth over the past few weeks.

“We are continuing to work with the local authority to investigate reports further and any impacts to the local environment."

Diggle Green Farm has been approached for comment.